Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
Bailey Tarrent has dedicated much of her life to serving her community of Lawn, Newfoundland & Labrador. She began by greening her school and community with a group called The Eco Kids, and after her life-changing Arctic expedition in 2013, she began competing in beauty pageants and founded a program to empower young women and girls. She will begin her studies towards becoming a veterinarian in the fall of 2016.
Snow capped mountains towering above her, sand stuck to her wet boots, snow beneath her feet, and a teal-green pond in the distance. When Bailey Tarrant tries to describe her expedition to curious friends, family, or acquaintances she tells them to imagine themselves in her waterlogged boots, hiking in the most fascinating place they can imagine.
“Every twist and turn of that hike made me fall in love with this corner of the Earth that was tucked away, uncovered by so few.”
Although Bailey was already heavily involved in volunteer work around sustainability and a variety of other areas in her community, her SOI expedition strengthened her passion to protect the environment. It also helped give her the confidence to compete in her first beauty pageant, and contributed to her decision to pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.
“I discovered the beauty in wildlife and took interest in endangered species and what I could do to prevent this. My experiences in Greenland and the Arctic helped me discover my passion for animals and pushed me toward a career in veterinary medicine.”
After her expedition, Bailey began competing in provincial beauty pageants, and even made it to a national pageant in the summer of 2015. She says she was drawn to pageants because she appreciated the way a title holder was chosen, “they wanted a girl who was interested in volunteering, valued her academics, possessed communication skills and lead a balanced lifestyle,” she says. It inspired her to strive to be that kind of person. But it wasn’t enough for Bailey just to be that person, so she started a program to empower other young women and girls to think big and achieve their dreams.
“I could stand by no longer and watch young girls, full of potential, become casualties of their own self-worth. I began a program that gave girls a safe environment to learn about confidence, empowerment and success! I’ve christened this program ‘Pretty Powerful’ to symbolize that women are much more than pretty faces, we can break that stigma and emerge as powerful figures!”
Bailey has been accepted into Dalhousie University’s Pre-Veterinary Medicine Studies program, which she will begin in September 2016. Her future plans include completing her bachelor’s degree, and then completing her Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Prince Edward Island. Once certified, Bailey hopes to set up a private practice and a rescue shelter. Beyond that she hopes to travel with her job and make a difference in other parts of the world.
“I always knew I wanted to change my community, but I never knew that my community could change me in such a tremendous way. Over the past eight years my community involvement has shaped me into who I am today, giving me the tools I need to succeed in life. Even though I will embark on a new journey, in a new community next year, I hope that the steps I have taken to improve my community will live on.”
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